


Promises

by suchanoldcliche



Series: OTP: From Curtain Up to Closing Scene. [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe RPF
Genre: Dapper Dans, M/M, So fluffy it hurts, Xanderony, inspired by a song, not-proposal, surprise proposal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-29
Updated: 2014-08-29
Packaged: 2018-02-15 06:17:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,469
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2218926
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/suchanoldcliche/pseuds/suchanoldcliche
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Is Xander nervous right now? God, of course he is. The boy's absolutely <i>terrified</i>. He isn't sure if Tony's caught on yet -- if he knows what this whole thing is leading up to -- but just standing here putting himself out there like this is probably one of the scariest things he's done in his life. And that's <i>including</i> the time he stood up to John Garrett and walked away with just broken bones. (Um. And the time he watched Ronan The Accuser end someone's life. That was pretty terrifying too.) But he's never been more sure of anything in all his life -- this is what he wants. This is what everything has been preparing him for.</p>
<p>A life spent with Tony.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Promises

**Author's Note:**

> This was written on the sixth of August, and I just thought to post it here too. I don't know why I didn't to begin with; I worked really hard on it. This one's not actually a fic, considering it really happened in the storyline I've got going with my partner, but... eh. I'm still putting it in this collection, because yES. *flails a LOT*
> 
> . . . *cough*
> 
> **This was inspired by the song, "From Here to Zero" by David Cook.**

He's been planning this for days. _Days_. Mind you, that's not really all that long, but Xander is incapable of keeping a secret like this. When he plans a surprise for someone, if he doesn't get whatever the gift is _that day_ , he's likely to spoil it. He just gets too excited, because he knows that whatever he has in store for them will make them happy, and he _lives_ to make people happy. That's why he didn't buy his mother's Audrey Hepburn coat until Mother's Day -- had he bought it days, weeks, in advance, he would've told her he had it.

This? This has been in the works for a lot longer than that. Or, well. He just thought of actually doing it days ago, but... it's something he's dreamed about for a while now.

Ever since he met Tony, really.

"Oh, pull over here," Xander says, pointing ahead to an empty parking space along the sidewalk. God, and now he can't feel his chest at _all_. Awesome. He needs to remember how to breathe. This won't go the way he wants it to if he stops breathing.

Once they've parked, Xander doesn't give himself enough time to freak out. Nope, within seconds, he's got the door open and he's getting out of the car. He walks around to the sidewalk and waits for Tony, then offers the man his hand and does his very best to smile and _not_ look like he's so nervous he might be sick.

"It's just down this way," he chimes, beaming up at the man before turning and walking off. It's like his feet are on auto-pilot, moving of their own accord because they know that if he stops to think about what he's doing, he'll freeze and not go through with it. And he knows he should. God, he's never been so sure of anything in his life. (He's also never been this scared, either, but oh well. He'll get over that. Hopefully.)

The two walk down to a seemingly empty diner -- much like the one Xander worked in in D.C. -- and the boy pauses to take a deep breath. He looks down at the ground, then turns to face Tony, his free hand reaching forward to take Tony's.

"I just... I want you to know how much I love you," he says, his eyes focused on the confused brown eyes staring down at him. Breathe, Xander. _Breathe_. "So. Um. Whatever you decide is... it's fine. Okay? Because I'm going to love you no matter what. Um. Right, okay. Let's..." He smiles softly, a nervous chuckle leaving him as he rubs the back of his neck. "Let's, um. Go in now." Another deep breath, and then he's pulling Tony up the steps and into the diner.

Inside are four young men, just a little older than Xander, wearing different colored striped suits. They have matching hats as well -- one purple, one red, one yellow, and one blue. They smile at the two who have walked in, but they don't make a sound.

"Okay, um. Sit here," Xander says, pulling Tony towards one of the bar stools. "I'm, uh... L-Like I said, if... I don't care what you decide or how you react, but... Just. Yeah. Okay. I'll shut up now." He leans in and kisses the man on the forehead, then steps back and joins the four men in the funny suits. He closes his eyes, exhales slowly, then opens them again and looks to the man beside him, the one wearing blue.

"Hi, Mr. Stark," the man says, tipping his hat to him. "You're probably wondering what you're doing here, and why the four of us were waiting for you when you walked in."

"Well," the man in red says, stepping forward as he looks toward Xander, then back to Tony, "I think that answer's fairly obvious."

"Don't be so sure," chimes the man in yellow, tilting his head to the side as he puts his hands on his hips. "Guy like Tony Stark probably doesn't even know who we _are_ , gentlemen."

"Ah, yes." The man in purple flashes a bright, cheeky smile, to the seated Stark. "We're the Dapper Dans of New York."

"Kind of like the ones at Disney, but... not," Blue says.

"Anyway," Purple continues, shooting Blue a look, then returning his attention to Tony. "This little guy, here," he chimes, walking over to Xander and placing both hands on his shoulders from behind, "wanted to surprise you. Says you're quite the guy."

"One of a kind!" Yellow says, his smile bright as the sun. No wonder he's the one wearing the most obnoxious color.

"A real catch," Red agrees, nodding his head. "Though, that's kind of obvious too. You're _Tony Stark_ , after all."

"Um, _guys_ ," Xander says, chuckling under his breath. He's rehearsed this a dozen times now, but God, he can feel his heart in his throat. Thank the god he doesn't believe in that this whole thing is scripted, otherwise he'd probably be a rambling mess right about now. "Can we get on with it?"

"Right!" Blue taps his foot against the floor, looking to the other three in annoyance. "Come on, men. We have a job to do!"

"So. Still have no idea why you're here?" Purple asks Tony, his hands moving to fold behind his back as he lifts himself up onto his toes, then back down onto his heels. "Well, it'll make sense soon enough. Ready, boys?"

This is it. The boy looks to Tony and smiles, a faint blush bridging his nose as all four of the men start to hum and play a melody on their pipe instruments, their vocal harmonies making Xander's heart skip a beat. He takes his place in the center of them, then closes his eyes. He imagines his mother is here, standing behind the man who has become so important to Xander that he can't imagine his life without him anymore -- doesn't _want_ to -- and when he opens his eyes again, his smile is warmer than ever. He rubs the back of his head nervously, glancing to the man in red, who nods towards Tony, before Xander sighs and takes a step forward, his hands folded behind his back as he starts to sing.

"Here we are at the starting line of a race that goes 'till the end of time... You and I." He smiles a little wider and looks down at his feet. "Take a long deep breath, and I'll take one too. As the seconds fade and the minutes move, I'm by your side." Xander lifts his head again, his eyes already filling with tears. Crap. Okay. He has a whole song to get through; don't do this now.

"Life's a countdown that never ends, and the world we know keeps on caving in. We can hold on... I will hold on..."

The men behind him chime in now, providing harmonies that send chills down Xander's spine as they sing through the first chorus of the song. "'Till the clocks run out, 'till the sun breaks down -- I'll be all the love you need. 'Till the stars turn cold... I'll never let you go, from here to zero."

Is Xander nervous right now? God, of course he is. The boy's absolutely _terrified_. He isn't sure if Tony's caught on yet -- if he knows what this whole thing is leading up to -- but just standing here putting himself out there like this is probably one of the scariest things he's done in his life. And that's _including_ the time he stood up to John Garrett and walked away with just broken bones. (Um. And the time he watched Ronan The Accuser end someone's life. That was pretty terrifying too.) But he's never been more sure of anything in all his life -- this is what he wants. This is what everything has been preparing him for.

A life spent with Tony.

"A love we took from a second look, like a flower pressed in your favorite book by the windowsill. We got lost in the passing glances. The winter frost melted in our hands, and time stood still..." Jesus. If his heart swells up any more, it'll fill his entire rib cage. He didn't know it was possible for him to be full of this much love for any one person who _wasn't_ his mother, but Tony's managed to prove him wrong on so many things. "Life's a countdown that never stops. As it all falls down, as we count the cost, we can hold on. I will hold on~"

Through the second chorus, Xander keeps his eyes focused on Tony, his own still flooded with tears that don't dare fall. Not now. Tony's done so much for Xander, and in this moment, he can feel all of it filling him -- all the love and gratitude and _hope_ that's come from knowing this man, all simultaneously making themselves known, and it's almost too much for the young man to bear. He'd felt so dead inside after his mother's death -- even being a part of Coulson's team wasn't enough to make him really feel alive again, and that in and of itself was a dream come true. No, for weeks after his mom died, Xander could hardly find a reason to smile. He felt lost. Scared. _Hopeless_. He didn't know who he was without her, and trying to figure all of that out was too much for him. It was too hard.

And then he met Tony.

Tony, with his bright eyes and his warm smile. Tony, with that world that spins too fast and burns too bright and sweeps you up without you realising it. Tony, with those arms that make Xander feel like he's finally, _finally_ home again. Like he's safe and loved and all of those things that he thought died along with his mother. Tony, with that heart of gold beneath all of that barbed wire. Tony, Tony, Tony.

The man he's fallen head over heels in love with.

The man that he can't imagine spending one day of his life without.

The man who has saved him from himself so many times in the short while that they've known each other.

The man Xander wants to be with for the rest of his life.

"From here to zero... And every point in between, from curtain up to closing scene..." Xander starts to walk towards Tony, then reaches out and takes both of the man's hands in his own. "Look in your heart and please believe, I'll never go, I'll never leave..." He gets down on one knee, looking up at the man now as the tears _finally_ start to roll down his cheeks. "From here until the end...~"

As the Dapper Dans continue to sing, Xander reaches into his blazer pocket and pulls out a small black box. He stares down at it for a moment, mulling over the speech he's had in his mind for days one last time, before the last notes of the song fill the air and then vanish. That's his cue. He takes a deep breath, then looks up to Tony.

"I... I know we haven't been together very long," he says, his heart thundering in his chest. "I know all of the stigma that's out there about... 'Oh, I shouldn't invest so much of myself in my first love, because first loves don't last.' I know that a lot of people out there would probably look at what I'm doing right now and think I've lost my mind or something. I know, because I used to be one of them. I used to be that guy who was always... so _skeptical_ of love. You know? I _certainly_ didn't think it would happen for me." He smiles warmly. "That is... until I met _you_.

"You have been... _everything_ to me, Tony. When I look at you... I see my future. I see a man who... _isn't_ lost, who _isn't_ afraid of whatever's around the corner. Because you're... God, you're everything I want to be. You're strong and you're confident and you're... You do what's right, even if it _terrifies_ you. And... I want to be a man who deserves you. And when you look at me, I feel like... maybe I _can_ be that man someday. Maybe I _can_ be strong like you.

"My mom, when she was still alive, she used to say..." He chuckles under his breath, shaking his head as he looks down at the box in his hands. "She'd say, 'One day, someone will show you you're wrong. One day, you'll meet a man who makes you believe in yourself. Who will be your home away from home, who will love you in more ways than you can possibly imagine. He's out there, Papi.' Obviously I never believed her. I mean, I was always cynical of that. I couldn't help it." He fiddles with the box, then looks up at Tony again. "You changed all of that, Tony. _You_ did. And I... I can't imagine spending the rest of my life with anyone else." With that, he opens up the box in his hands, revealing an older-looking ring. It's silver and has a black band around it -- a ring from the 1940s. "This used to belong to my grandfather," he explains. "He gave it to my grandmother before they were to be engaged as a promise. He... died in the war, so they never actually got married, but... It's been in my family for generations. It was a promise between my grandparents, and now it's a promise from me to you.

"I promise you that, for as long as you'll have me, I'll always be yours. No matter what happens, no matter where our paths take us from here, I... I will always belong to you. And I promise that even when I mess up, even when we fight because I made some stupid mistake again or because you're stubborn and won't listen to me, I will always try to fix things between us. Because you are too important to me for me to let you go. I don't want to imagine a day without you. I don't want to wake up beside anyone else, ever, for the rest of my life. You're it for me, Tony. I know that. And I know our lives are too up in the air for this to be a serious proposal, so that... that isn't what I'm doing. But... I want to. One day, I want to marry you. Because I can't see myself with anyone else.

"So, Tony Stark," he says, his eyes shining and his smile brighter than ever, "will you promise me that you will marry me one day?"


End file.
